Nick Byrdhttps://byrdnick.com
PhD candidate | Psychology of our beliefs, wellbeing, willpower.Wed, 14 Mar 2018 15:43:25 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4https://i0.wp.com/byrdnick.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/cropped-cropped-IMG_0002-1.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1Nick Byrdhttps://byrdnick.com
323236888168I Bought An Electric Height-adjustable Desk …and I love it.https://byrdnick.com/archives/12762/electric-height-adjustable-desk-standing-desk
Wed, 14 Mar 2018 09:00:19 +0000https://byrdnick.com/?p=12762I don't like sitting at a desk all day. Sometimes I want to stand. But for a long time, I was too cheap to buy an electric standing desk. Well I finally bought one for about $200. After 6 months, I have no remorse. I have only praise. Scratch that, I also have dissatisfaction: I have a newfound dissatisfaction with all work surfaces that are not easily height-adjustable. In this post, I'll explain what I bought and why I like it.

]]>12762The Institute of Art and Ideas Podcast: Europe’s (Superior) Answer to TEDhttps://byrdnick.com/archives/12643/the-institute-of-art-and-ideas-iai-podcast
https://byrdnick.com/archives/12643/the-institute-of-art-and-ideas-iai-podcast#respondSun, 18 Feb 2018 19:00:05 +0000https://byrdnick.com/?p=12643There are a few reasons that I like the Institute for Art and Ideas podcast more than American alternatives like TED and Talks at Google. In this post, I'll explain and highlight two of my favorite IAI podcast episodes.

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/12643/the-institute-of-art-and-ideas-iai-podcast/feed012643How Arguments Work: The Basicshttps://byrdnick.com/archives/12684/how-arguments-work
https://byrdnick.com/archives/12684/how-arguments-work#respondMon, 12 Feb 2018 09:00:09 +0000https://byrdnick.com/?p=12684There's a lot that you can do if understand how arguments succeed and fail. You can construct a convincing argument, evaluate an argument, fix a broken argument, and — maybe most importantly — avoid being duped by a bullshit argument. So if any of that sounds interesting to you, then you'll want to understand the basics of how arguments work. I'll review those basics in the rest of this post.

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/12684/how-arguments-work/feed012684Evaluate An Argument With Just ONE Flowcharthttps://byrdnick.com/archives/12654/evaluate-the-argument-with-one-flowchart
https://byrdnick.com/archives/12654/evaluate-the-argument-with-one-flowchart#commentsTue, 06 Feb 2018 19:00:12 +0000https://byrdnick.com/?p=12654This one flowchart shows you how to identify over a dozen fallacies in arguments — in just 6 steps! In this post, we will identify a common argument and then use the flowchart to evaluate the argument.

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/12654/evaluate-the-argument-with-one-flowchart/feed3126543 Obstacles For Research About Cheating & Moralityhttps://byrdnick.com/archives/10627/traveling-abroad-moral-relativism-prescreen-cheating-problem
Mon, 01 Jan 2018 20:00:02 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=10627A recent study finds that "[traveling abroad] can lead to immoral behavior by increasing moral relativism". Sexy finding, but does it survive scrutiny? Find out in this short, 1000-word essay.

]]>10627Sexual Harassment Accusations & The Acceptance Principlehttps://byrdnick.com/archives/12457/sexual-harassment-accusations-acceptance-principle
Mon, 18 Dec 2017 08:00:15 +0000https://byrdnick.com/?p=12457A public figure is accused of a sexual misdeed by someone. You know nothing about the accused besides their name and their alleged crime. And you know nothing about the accuser except their name and their accusation. Do you believe the accuser? We often learn about such sexual harassment accusations. So it behooves us to come up with an answer to this question. The Acceptance Principle suggests that we can accept the accusation. Why? I'll explain below.

]]>12457Writing Bloopershttps://byrdnick.com/archives/12399/writing-bloopers
Mon, 06 Nov 2017 07:00:06 +0000https://byrdnick.com/?p=12399Writing bloopers can be hilarious. But can they also be instructive? I present a bunch of writing bloopers and explore how they might be used to help students learn about writing.

]]>12399Science vs. Philosophy …or maybe they are continuoushttps://byrdnick.com/archives/12338/philosophy-is-continuous-with-science
https://byrdnick.com/archives/12338/philosophy-is-continuous-with-science#commentsMon, 23 Oct 2017 08:00:13 +0000https://byrdnick.com/?p=12338Does science trump philosophy? Or is it the other way around? These questions assume that there is a clear boundary between philosophy and science. And that might be false.

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/12338/philosophy-is-continuous-with-science/feed1712338Domain-familiarity & The Cognitive Reflection Testhttps://byrdnick.com/archives/11736/domain-familiarity-cognitive-reflection-test-type-0-cognition
Mon, 16 Oct 2017 16:00:01 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=11736This week I'm commenting on Nicholas Shea and Frith “Dual-process theories and consciousness: the case for ‘Type Zero’ cognition" (2016) (open access) over at the Brians blog. My abstract is in this post. Head over to Brains for the full comments and subsequent discussion.

]]>11762Free, online conference on the philosophy and science of mind!https://byrdnick.com/archives/12258/minds-online-2017
Mon, 11 Sep 2017 15:22:30 +0000https://byrdnick.com/?p=12258Check out the latest and greatest research in the philosophy and science of mind at #MindsOnline2017.

]]>12258Christine Korsgaard on Reflection and Reflective Endorsementhttps://byrdnick.com/archives/11984/christine-korsgaard-reflection-reflective-endorsement
Mon, 14 Aug 2017 06:00:36 +0000https://byrdnick.com/?p=11984Christine Korsgaard thinks that reflective reasoning is important for all of morality — #NBD. And her notion of 'reflective' is very similar to cognitive scientists', but not the same. In this post, I explain Korsgaards' view and how it differs from cognitive scientists'.

]]>11984The Meaning Problem & Academic Lexiconshttps://byrdnick.com/archives/11946/the-meaning-problem-and-academic-lexicons
Mon, 07 Aug 2017 06:00:05 +0000https://byrdnick.com/?p=11946Lexicons help us find out how one word might mean different things in different contexts. I think we need lexicons for each academic field. Here's why and how.

]]>11946Academic Fake News?https://byrdnick.com/archives/12017/academic-fake-news
https://byrdnick.com/archives/12017/academic-fake-news#commentsSun, 30 Jul 2017 09:00:34 +0000https://byrdnick.com/?p=12017I recently joined the I Can't Believe It's Not News podcast to talk about fake news — especially academic fake news. You can preview or listen to the podcast in this post.

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/11793/christopher-peacocke-reflective-self-consciousness/feed41179311 Steps Toward WordPress Optimization (for both of us)https://byrdnick.com/archives/11835/wordpress-optimization-2017
https://byrdnick.com/archives/11835/wordpress-optimization-2017#commentsMon, 17 Jul 2017 14:31:52 +0000https://byrdnick.com/?p=11835When I implemented WordPress optimization, there was a 500% increase in traffic and an almost 50% reduction in webpage loading time. Here's how I did it.

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/11835/wordpress-optimization-2017/feed211835My Experience with Christian Apologeticshttps://byrdnick.com/archives/7386/experience-christian-apologetics
https://byrdnick.com/archives/7386/experience-christian-apologetics#commentsMon, 10 Jul 2017 06:00:36 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=7386I took a few courses in biblical studies and Christian apologetics as an undergraduate. The courses definitely influenced my thinking, but not in the way that I expected. They actually undermined my faith. They also introduced me to my current research.

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/7386/experience-christian-apologetics/feed27386How To Create A Digital Libraryhttps://byrdnick.com/archives/6356/how-to-create-a-digital-library
Wed, 05 Jul 2017 06:00:54 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=6356Want to have a digital library with you at all times? In this post, I lay out the 5 things you should think about while creating and curating your digital library.

]]>6356Are Atheists More Reflective Than Theists?https://byrdnick.com/archives/11711/are-atheists-more-reflective-than-theists
https://byrdnick.com/archives/11711/are-atheists-more-reflective-than-theists#commentsMon, 26 Jun 2017 16:30:35 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=11711I recently discussed the research that answers this question on a podcast. Here's (a) the podcast and (b) some suggestions for further reading on this topic.

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/11711/are-atheists-more-reflective-than-theists/feed111711How To Write A Philosophy Paper: 4 Criteria, 9 Tipshttps://byrdnick.com/archives/11510/how-to-write-a-philosophy-paper
https://byrdnick.com/archives/11510/how-to-write-a-philosophy-paper#commentsMon, 12 Jun 2017 06:00:45 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=11510When my students ask how to write a philosophy paper, I give them four criteria and five writing tips. Here's they are:

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/11510/how-to-write-a-philosophy-paper/feed111510What Is Reflective Reasoning?https://byrdnick.com/archives/11559/what-is-reflective-reasoning
Tue, 30 May 2017 06:00:25 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=11559Reflective reasoning is often contrasted with intuitive reasoning. But what is reflective reasoning? How does it work? And why does it work? I will tackle these latter questions in my dissertation. Here's a preview.

]]>11559The Appeal to Intuition: A Fallacy?https://byrdnick.com/archives/4318/appeal-to-nature-appeal-to-intuition-fallacy
https://byrdnick.com/archives/4318/appeal-to-nature-appeal-to-intuition-fallacy#commentsMon, 22 May 2017 06:00:43 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=4318If neuroscience explains intuition, does it thereby debunk intuition? Here are three ways to answer that question.

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/4318/appeal-to-nature-appeal-to-intuition-fallacy/feed144318Experimental Philosophy 2.0: The Neuroscience of Philosophyhttps://byrdnick.com/archives/4736/experimental-philosophy-neuroscience-of-philosophy
https://byrdnick.com/archives/4736/experimental-philosophy-neuroscience-of-philosophy#commentsMon, 15 May 2017 06:00:21 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=4736Can neuroscience help us understand philosophy? Here are some studies which suggest that it can.

]]>6670You Should Have an Academic Social Network Profile (and Maybe a Website): Here’s why and howhttps://byrdnick.com/archives/11393/personal-websites-academic-social-networks-how-to
https://byrdnick.com/archives/11393/personal-websites-academic-social-networks-how-to#commentsMon, 24 Apr 2017 18:00:04 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=11393Learn how (and why) to make personal websites and academic social network profiles in LESS THAN 10 MINUTES! It's super easy! And free!

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/11393/personal-websites-academic-social-networks-how-to/feed211393Classroom Poster Sessions: A win for you and your studentshttps://byrdnick.com/archives/11346/classroom-poster-sessions
https://byrdnick.com/archives/11346/classroom-poster-sessions#commentsSun, 16 Apr 2017 19:00:33 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=11346Classroom poster sessions are a win for you and for your students. This post tells you why (and how) to do classroom poster sessions.

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/11346/classroom-poster-sessions/feed511346The Moral Argument Against Footnotes and PDFhttps://byrdnick.com/archives/11077/pdf-footnotes-accessibility-of-research
https://byrdnick.com/archives/11077/pdf-footnotes-accessibility-of-research#commentsSun, 26 Mar 2017 08:00:16 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=11077Most academic research is published in PDF. A lot of it uses footnotes. And that decreases the accessibility of research. Here's what we should do about it.

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/11077/pdf-footnotes-accessibility-of-research/feed211077APA Interview & Deleted Interview Questionshttps://byrdnick.com/archives/11033/apa-interview-questions
Mon, 20 Mar 2017 08:00:41 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=11033I was recently interviewed on the APA blog. Here's a link to the interview as well as some of the material that had to be cut from the interview.

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/11072/the-bias-fallacy/feed211072Representative Art vs. The Real Thing: Which is more beautiful?https://byrdnick.com/archives/4387/representative-art-vs-the-real-thing
Sat, 04 Mar 2017 05:04:45 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=4387G.E. Moore claims that people find real objects more beautiful than their artistic representations. I think this is false. Even after I

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/10979/definition-of-fake-news-conspiracy-theory-journalism/feed910979Research Questions & Mental Shortcuts: A Warninghttps://byrdnick.com/archives/10378/research-questions-substitution
https://byrdnick.com/archives/10378/research-questions-substitution#commentsSun, 19 Feb 2017 17:18:42 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=10378You have a research question. Great! Now it's time to answer it. Alas, we systematically confuse answers to one question for answers to another question. And when we do that, our research fails. So we need to identify this error and course-correct before it's too late. For more details, check out the full post.

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/10378/research-questions-substitution/feed4103784 Student Feedback Policieshttps://byrdnick.com/archives/10733/4-student-feedback-policies
https://byrdnick.com/archives/10733/4-student-feedback-policies#commentsSun, 12 Feb 2017 06:00:43 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=10733If you have a lot of students, then you can spend nearly all of your time on student feedback. Here are 4 policies designed to make my feedback workflow more sustainable.

]]>10457Is Reflective Reasoning Supposed To Change Your Mind?https://byrdnick.com/archives/10340/reflective-reasoning-change-my-mind
Sun, 08 Jan 2017 06:00:47 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=10340Yes, but it might not change our most cherished beliefs. So it depends on what you mean by 'change our mind'. For instance,...

]]>10340Plans for 2017https://byrdnick.com/archives/10318/plans-for-2017
Thu, 29 Dec 2016 07:35:43 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=10318I've got two main goals for 2017: work on my dissertation and share my research with as many people as possible. What can you do to help? Subscribe and share.

]]>10318Top posts of 2016https://byrdnick.com/archives/10317/top-posts-of-2016
Mon, 26 Dec 2016 02:27:52 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/archives/10317/top-posts-of-2016Here are the top 5 most viewed posts of 2016 from the blog:

]]>1023830+ Online Resources For Studying & Teaching Philosophyhttps://byrdnick.com/archives/10244/studying-teaching-philosophy
https://byrdnick.com/archives/10244/studying-teaching-philosophy#commentsSun, 18 Dec 2016 06:00:59 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=10244Here is a list of online resources that I use for studying and teaching philosophy. What would you add?

]]>https://byrdnick.com/archives/9908/post-fact-irredeemable/feed79908Visual Brainstorming on Whiteboards for Posters, Slides, and Morehttps://byrdnick.com/archives/7677/whiteboard-visual-brainstorming
Mon, 28 Nov 2016 07:00:58 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=7677Visual brainstorming is best done on a flat surface — not a keyboard and/or mouse. That's why I have a whiteboard in my office.

]]>7677Why Care About Cognitive Science?https://byrdnick.com/archives/9898/cognitive-science
Mon, 21 Nov 2016 06:00:28 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=9898How does bias work? How do we reduce bias? How do we reason? These are all questions for cognitive science. Here's why I like cognitive science.

]]>9898Politicians Defunding Based on Political Bias? Sounds Biasedhttps://byrdnick.com/archives/10064/monitoring-institutional-bias-education-ben-carson
Sun, 13 Nov 2016 15:00:51 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=10064Ben Carson wants the department of education to deny funding wherever it finds bias. This sounds good, but it could be very bad.

]]>10064So you voted third party or didn’t vote at all. Did you help Trump win?https://byrdnick.com/archives/10041/voted-third-party-vote-for-trump
Wed, 09 Nov 2016 08:00:48 +0000https://www.byrdnick.com/?p=10041Did you end up not voting? Did you vote for a third party? Was that a vote for Trump? Good question. It depends.